Off The Ground
by inluvwitcurtis
Summary: the sequal to Love Not Hate... TM with scenes of Jack and Kate
1. Chapter 1

It had been one month since the bomb at CTU and the attempt on David Palmer's life, and still Tony had not yet asked Michelle out on a date. A lot had happened since then, and he really didn't have time for petty little things like dates. The circumstances at CTU kept everyone in till at least midnight, so no one really had time for a social life. Tony was certain Michelle would understand completely seeing as she was at CTU earlier and later than everyone else.

Tony was at a bar with Jack and his new partner Chase, chugging beer and asking stupid questions to one another. They were all, most definitely drunk.

"Kim," Tony stated.

"Oh, I'd do her!" Chase laughed, finishing off his beer.

"You'd better not mean _my _Kim! You little sonofabitch!" Jack yelled, chasing Chase around the bar, until the male bartender stopped them.

"No runnin' in here, gents." He said.

Jack pulled out his shotgun. "What was that?" He demanded, pointing the shotgun at the bartender's face.

"Look, sir, I'm just tryin' to run a bar, 'kay?"

"Yeah, whatever," Jack mumbled, sitting back down next to Tony.

"I didn't mean it, Jack," Chase said.

"Good," Jack replied, forcing something that might have been a smile. "Michelle."

"I'd do her…" Tony said. "In a heartbeat,"

"Oooh! Tony likes Michelle! Tony likes Michelle!" Chase taunted, dancing around.

"'Course he doesn't like Michelle! He can't anyway, not after what happened with Nina," Jack said, slapping Chase on the side of his newly-shaven head.

Tony looked down. He really did like Michelle; he just never got around to telling Jack. He wasn't really the type to go pour out his feelings, especially to Jack. Tony had never told Jack about the kiss, or the date he'd promised her, and didn't plan on it.

"Tony?"

"What? Uh, yeah…'course I don't like Michelle. Nina was…a bitch…she really wrecked me emotionally…" Tony took a swig of his beer and stood up.

"I'd better go," he said, shaking the hands of Jack and Chase.

Tony walked over to the door and pushed it open. The date. Maybe he should ask Michelle out on that date sometime soon…

It was another sleepless Friday night for Michelle. _Is it Tony?_ She wondered. He had promised her that date one month ago for goodness sake! She knew she didn't have a hope in hell with Tony, since the only reason that they'd get together is because they stopped the nuke, and not because he truly wanted a date with her. She knew that he'd probably be searching for some perfect blond to share his life with, and not some super-smart techy who's hair is knotted and curly.

Michelle sat up. A run, that's what she needed. She needed to go for a run. She never normally ran at night, in the dark, when creepy drunks and drug dealers roamed the streets, but the thought hit her like a ton of bricks. She grabbed her sweatpants and running shoes and headed out the door.

It was pretty quiet for a Friday night and no one seemed to be outside. Michelle kept running until she reached a bar. She really didn't want to get drunk, but it might ease her a little. She stepped inside and saw Jack and Chase sitting at a table near the window.

"Michelle!" Jack called as soon as he saw her enter the bar.

"Hey Jack, hey Chase," she said, "mind if I sit down?"

"No way. We were just talking about you," Chase replied, smiling.

"Talking about me?"

"Yeah, Tony was just here and he said he'd do you in a heartbeat."

Michelle blushed. She smelt the alcohol on his breath and laughed. She had never seen Chase or Jack drunk before, quite possibly because she just met both of them at least a month back.

"Well, can I get you anything?" Jack asked.

"Uh…how 'bout a beer?"

"Sure."

Jack got up and walked over to the male bartender. "Get me a beer,"

"Sir this will be your tenth," the bartender replied.

"I know, but it's not for me, it's for my lovely lady friend over there," Jack pointed to Michelle.

"She yours?"

"No. She's nobody's. Are you trying to make something out of this? That she's not mine? 'Cause mine's at her father's country club," Jack demanded, reaching for his shotgun.

"One beer coming up,"

Michelle and Chase were waiting patiently at the table.

"So…Tony said he'd _do_ me?" That was probably the third time she'd asked Chase the question, but she had to know.

"Yup," Chase replied, swigging his beer.

"But he was drunk?"

"I dunno, guess so,"

Michelle nodded as she was handed a beer. "Thanks Jack,"

"Yup." Jack answered, grabbing Chase's arm. "I'm outta here, Kim's out with this new boyfriend and I promised I'd meet him at two in the morning."

Chase turned red, probably with jealousy. "I'd probably go too,"

Michelle suddenly felt scared. "And leave me here all alone?"

"Sorry Michelle," Jack replied as he lunged for Michelle's cheek and kissed her. Chase did the same.

Michelle pursed her lips and finally smiled, "Okay, bye."

The two men left and Michelle leaned back in her chair. Her beer tasted plain as she chugged the rest of it down and got up. She felt her stomach grumble and she walked over to the bar.

"Can I have a bag of chips?"

"Yeah sure. What kind?"

"Uh, plain, please."

"Never say please in Barry's Bar," the bartender warned, "Barry hates the word."

"Okay…"

The door swung open and Michelle felt a cold breeze on her bare arms. She turned and saw Tony enter the bar.


	2. Chapter 2

_Sorry this chapter's so short…thanks for the reviews!_

Michelle went over to the bar first before leaving. She decided to finish her chips and maybe chat up the bartender.

Tony sat down next to Michelle. She tried not to notice him as she munched on her chips. He stared her down carefully. She ignored him and started talking to the male bartender.

"So, uh, how long have you worked here?" she asked.

"Darling, I've been here since Barry opened this place up,"

Michelle was a little weirded out by the fact that he had just called her 'darling.'

"Uh, so, what's your name?"

"Philip,"

"Any family in LA?"

"No one, except for my boyfriend, Chuck, and thank God!"

Michelle could have guessed that Philip was gay. Just by the way he talked, and because he was wearing a pink sweater and tight jeans.

"Why thank God?"

"Because of that whole nuclear bomb thingy a month ago," Philip replied and sighed.

"How'd you find out?"

"Oh, sweetie, how'd _you_ find out? I heard some guy talking about it,"

"I was–never mind." Michelle rolled her eyes. "I'll have another beer,"

"Comin' right up," Philip smiled as he reached for another beer from the cooler and handed it to Michelle.

She popped it open and took a swig. She finally looked at Tony as Philip went to go serve another customer.

"We didn't tell anyone about the nuke right?" she asked him.

"Nope. We agreed not to say anything about it till it was detonated." Tony replied. "Speaking of the nuke…you wanna get together, since we stopped it and everything."

Michelle took another swig of beer. "Since we stopped it, and since you asked, okay,"

Tony's eyes lit up and he did something totally out of character: he kissed her. His kissed her briefly and passionately. Michelle blushed and she walked over to a table at the back of the bar. Tony followed. He sat down and pulled her on his lap, something he never would have done without the alcohol. Michelle was a little taken aback by the action, but slowly settled down. She put her beer down, and returned his kiss, this time longer and more intense. Tony smiled when she finally broke it, and reached for her beer. He took a gulp, and the Michelle brought the bottle to her lips and finished it off.

"It's a date," She said, before giving him another kiss and getting up and leaving.


	3. Chapter 3

Michelle hadn't even asked when and where this date was going to be. She was semi-drunk, so it didn't hit her until later. She had a problem with her stomach and her brain that even after two drinks, her mind was out of focus. Michelle had a problem with drinking, back in college, she was always the designated driver on nights out.

Michelle had a much better time sleeping now that she was semi-drunk, until someone started knocking at her door.

"Who the fuck…?" she started, walking over to the front door. She opened it and saw Chase and Jack standing there.

"We…wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas…" they sung. Obviously still drunk, Jack and Chase made for good carolers.

"Uh, Jack what's the rest of that song?" Chase asked.

"Who cares," Jack replied.

Michelle laughed and shook her head. "And a happy new year," she told them.

"What was that, missy?" Jack reached for his empty pocket. "Damn it! I forgot my gun!"

"That's the rest of the song. You guys should come in,"

Michelle felt awkward inviting two of her drunken co-workers over inside her apartment at three-thirty in the morning, but they probably wouldn't leave if she had forced them out.

"So how's that boyfriend of Kim's?"

"Boyfriend! Damn it! She's not supposed to be dating without my permission!" Jack yelled, probably waking up Michelle's neighbors.

"Jack, shush, quiet down! You said before that you had to meet her boyfriend at two in the morning," Michelle smiled, sitting Jack down on the couch.

"I wish I were her boyfriend. 'Cause she's pretty and all." Chase shrugged, sitting next to Jack.

"Yeah well the odds of her dating mr. bald-boy are slim to none!" Jack laughed, slapping Chase on the back. "And no one, not even my daughter, is prettier than Kate!"

Michelle couldn't help but laugh at this. "Do you guys want some coffee?" she asked.

"Nah, we'd probably go now, right buddy-boy?" Chase replied, turning to Jack.

"I'm your boss! I call you buddy-boy!" Jack said, linking arms with Chase and walking out the door.

Michelle was kind of awed at what had just happened. Jack and Chase, drunk and acting weirdly in her apartment. It was a funny situation, but she shrugged it off and headed back to bed.

Tony sat at the barstool, head in his hands, feeling miserable. God, he had a headache and a stomachache and everything seemed blurry and out of place.

"Excuse me, sir?" Philip said, poking at Tony's shoulder.

"Yeah, what?"

"We're closing up. It's three-thirty, you should probably head home,"

"One sec," Tony replied, walking over to the men's room and into a stall. He started puking out green chunky substances, probably what he'd had for supper. Afterwards, he felt a bit better, but was still drunk.

"Closin' time!" Philip yelled from the bar, ringing a bell.

Tony ambled to the door, pushed it open and felt the cool October air on his cheeks. It was dark outside, but he could make out the shapes of two other drunken men, walking arm-in-arm down the street and toward him.

"Hey! It's Tony!"

"Jack! Ma best buddy!" Tony laughed.

Chase stepped in. "And I'm your chopped beef!"

"Liver. Chopped _liver_"

The three men linked arms and started skipping down the street, singing, "Lions, and tigers and bears! Oh my!"

It was certainly a lively night, that Friday night.

The next morning, Michelle decided to call Tony to more firmly arrange their date. The phone rung twice before Tony picked up.

"Almeida," he said, groggily.

"It's Michelle,"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Well, that date you told me you'd take me on last night? I was wondering if I could, uh, maybe get deeper details,"

"What date?"

Tony had been drunk when he'd promised her the date, therefore didn't remember ever promising it to her.

"_The _date!" Michelle put the emphasis on _the_.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"At the bar last night, you promised me a date…remember?"

"Uh…no. Look, Michelle, if you want, since we did stop the nuke, I'll take you out to lunch. Meet me on the beach at eleven-thirty,"

"It's a date," Michelle said, mimicking what she had said the night before.

Tony slightly remembered Michelle at the bar, but didn't remember the conversation they'd had, if they'd had any at all. Had he really promised her a date? Then he remembered. He remembered kissing her, drinking her beer, and asking her out. He remembered that after he left, he was with Jack and Chase, and the police had to take him home. _Shit_, he thought, _real smooth_.

Then it occurred to him that he was going to meet her at eleven-thirty on the beach. What would he wear? Where would he take her? This was _Michelle_, not some other girl. Michelle, the woman he knew he'd loved for over a year now!

At eleven, Michelle was all ready and dressed in beige capris and a dark pink tank top. She had quickly done her makeup, just some mascara, a little moisturizer and some lip-gloss, and had tied her up in her regular messy ponytail. She hoped she looked appropriate for wherever Tony was taking her. She hoped it would be as intimate as she'd pictured (for ages, Michelle had pictured what their first date would be like). Michelle had always pictured a quiet meal, and then a walk on the beach, and maybe he'd buy her an ice cream afterwards. She'd get her feet wet, and they'd splash each other and get salt water in their mouths, and Tony would have to kiss the taste away…

After a long hour and a half of planning, Tony finally had planned out what they'd do: first, he'd take Michelle out to a café, with the terrace right on the beach, then they'd go down to the beach and have a long walk, and then he'd take her to see a movie, like he'd promised her the day of the bomb. He'd allow her to pick the movie, and he'd pay for everything like a real gentleman.

Tony checked his watch: eleven-fifteen. He decided he'd better get going, so he threw on his running shoes and ran out the door. It was about a ten-minute drive to the beach, and Tony was getting anxious. He eyed the beach and saw Michelle standing there, playing with her hair. Tony parked on the side of the road and shuffled over to his beautiful date.

"Hey," He said.

"Oh! Hi!" She said, smiling at his presence.

"We'd better get going, then." He replied, returning the smiled and taking her hand.

"So, uh, where are you taking me?" She asked.

"You'll see," He answered, leading her to the café.

The café wasn't too busy, and was nicely decorated, with some old charm and modern twists.

A waitress walked up to them. "Where'd you like to sit?" She asked.

"Do you have a table for two on the terrace?" Tony replied, looking at Michelle.

"Sure,"

She led them out on the terrace and situated them at a table in the corner with a perfect view of the ocean.

"Wow, Tony, this is beautiful," Michelle said, taking in the view.

"Yeah, it is,"

The menus arrived, and they ordered their food. The time they spent waiting for their food, they talked about their childhoods, and favorite everythings. So far, it was a pleasant date, but all that would soon change…


	4. Chapter 4

Tony checked his watch for the millionth time. It had been at least an hour since they'd ordered their food, and the place wasn't busy, so what was taking so long?

"Is everything okay?" Michelle asked.

"Uh, yeah, just our food still hasn't arrived yet." Tony answered.

"Oh, that's okay. It can wait,"

Tony nodded. "But it's a little strange that it's been an hour since we've ordered our food."

"It's been an hour already?"

Tony nodded again. They continued talking and pretty soon, another hour passed.

Michelle's stomach grumbled and she blushed. "I'm starving," she said.

"Me too,"

"I'll be right back," Michelle started getting up from her seat.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"I'm just gonna go check inside to see what's taking so long for our food to come."

"Here, I'll come with you."

The couple headed inside. While they were approaching the doors, they heard shrieks and cries for help. A few gunshots, and more screaming. Michelle looked at Tony and grabbed his hand. Tony slowly pushed open the door and saw four men in baklavas, armed with guns, holding three of the customers.

"Don't move!" One said, when he saw Tony and Michelle enter the restaurant. "Grab her!"

One man went and grabbed Michelle roughly by the arm. Tony reached for her, but the man punched Tony to the floor.

"Tony!" Michelle cried, tears flowing endlessly now. It was all happening so quickly, it started out as a perfect date, and now this!

"Shut up!" The man yelled in her ear, slapping her face.

"Sonofabitch," Tony muttered under his breath. He was going to kill these bastards for even touching Michelle.

The man placed Michelle with the rest of the customers that had been taken hostage. One of the men, probably the leader, pointed a gun at everyone in the restaurant and left with the hostages.

"Oh my God," Tony cried, reaching for his cell phone. He had to call Jack, so he dialed the numbers.

"Bauer?" Jack picked up.

"Jack! It's Tony! Please don't tell me you're still hung over?"

"No, Tony, I'm not drunk. What is it?"

"I took Michelle out on a date, and then our food didn't arrive, so we went to check inside, and there were these guys who took Michelle and some other people hostage and now they just left!"

"Oh! Well, I'm with Kate now, so, uh, why don't I meet you on the beach?"

"Hurry!" Tony hung up, and rubbed his face, a nervous habit of his.

_Back where Jack and Kate are…_

"And I think my family can sit on the right…" Kate was saying.

"Uh…"

"Jack! Are you even listening to me?" Kate demanded.

"Yeah I am. Look, I gotta go help Tony with something. I'll be back soon."

"Ugh fine! Jack, I don't understand it, you're never around!"

"Kate…"

"No, Jack! I don't think this is going to work if you can't even help plan our own wedding!"

"No, Katie, don't say that, please don't say that! I have to go help Tony. I'll be back and then we'll plan it! I swear!"

"Yeah, whatever," Kate replied, turning and heading back into the mansion she called home.

Jack shook his head and grabbed his big gun…

Tony saw a black SUV pull up on the side of the road and Jack step out of it. He waved his arms rapidly, so rapidly that he fell back into the sand.

"Tony!"

"Jack!"

Two men ran toward each other and shook hands. They took a minute to acknowledge each other's presence and finally, Jack started talking.

"So did you see where they took the hostages?" he asked.

"No, I was fuckin' punched to the floor!"

"Maybe we should call CTU?"

"That would help…"

"Wait! You were on a date! With Michelle!" Jack yelled.

"Yeah, so?"

"Why? After Nina, I thought you'd never move on"

"What so _you're_ allowed to see Kate, but I'm not allowed to see Michelle?"

"You're allowed to see someone, but after Nina, I thought now one from work!"

"Yeah, well, Michelle's different!"

"Whatever, let's just call CTU."

Michelle was in a van, blindfolded and tied up. She was being held at gunpoint along with some other people. _Why me_? She demanded to herself. _Why did _I_ have to get kidnapped?_

"Are we there yet?" she heard a voice ask.

"I'll tell you when we're there." Another answered.

It was a long drive, and finally Michelle felt the car stop.

"Grab the hostages!"

Michelle felt rough hands grab her and move her out of the van and into what was probably an underground warehouse. The hands took off her blindfold and pushed her to the floor. She looked around and saw that it was an underground drug warehouse.

"What are you going to do to us?" A female hostage demanded.

"Shut up or we'll kill you!"

The woman didn't say anything after that.

Michelle didn't want to say anything, but did anyway. "I'm a federal agent and so is the man I was with. He's the acting director of the Counter Terrorist Unit! His best friend is Jack Bauer, another agent, who has a hit rate of 57! They're probably looking for me–and you–by now! You'll be in serious shit for kidnapping a government agent!"

"Same goes for you, toots!"

The men didn't even seem scared about what Michelle had just told them.

"Jack Bauer did you say?" A familiar female voice asked from the darker side of the room.

"Yes." Michelle was acting way more confident than she really was.

"And what's the name of the man you were with?"

"Tony Almeida."

"Sonofabitch. Oh well, didn't think he'd ever make it to acting director. And what's your name?"

"Michelle Dessler."

"Oh. You were Tony's replacement, I'm guessing?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Hmm…kill all the hostages except Ms. Dessler here."

"But boss…?"

"Do it!"

Three gunshots later…

Michelle had closed her eyes for the killing of the other hostages, but now opened them to see Nina Myers presently standing in front of her, devious smile spread across her face.


	5. Chapter 5

"What the hell…?" Michelle mumbled. "Why?"

"What? Why would I take restaurant customers hostage?" Nina asked, smiled still spread across her face.

Michelle nodded.

"I was actually going to call CTU and then they'd get me on the phone with the president, since he is out of hospital now, and I'd get pardoned. Jack Bauer is the exact person I need to speak with."

"So you grabbed a bunch of restaurant customers?"

Nina came over and slapped Michelle on her cheek. "I was going to kill them off one by one until I got pardoned, but now that I've got you, what's the need? I'm sure if Tony really loves you he'll get me pardoned within the hour!"

"This was our first date!" Michelle pleaded, beginning to cry again.

"Oh boo-hoo! Deal with it!"

Nina turned around and started typing at a computer.

Jack and Tony were in Jack's SUV driving to CTU. Jack was probably going 100 kilometers off the speed limit, but he really didn't care. When they arrived at CTU, they quickly went through security and walked straight into the bullpen. It was a quiet Saturday, except for a few analysts and I.T people.

"Jack! Tony!" the new analyst Chloe O'Brien called from the conference room. "There's an urgent call for both of you! Come in here!"

They hurried into the conference room, and Tony pressed the speakerphone button.

"Who is this?" Jack demanded.

"Never mind that, Mr. Bauer and Mr. Almeida, the point is, I have one of your agents here. I believe Michelle Dessler's her name?"

"What do you want?" Tony demanded.

"An official pardon signed by president David Palmer,"

"Wait!" Jack said. "I know that voice! It's Nina!" There was both hurt and anger in his voice.

"What? Jack are you sure?" Tony asked, scratching his face.

"Positive."

The two men turned back to the phone.

"What's going to happen if we don't get you the pardon?" Tony asked, biting his lip and scratching his face again.

"I've got three guns and Michelle here in this room. What do you think is going to happen?"

Tony's heart sank. Why did he have to choose _that_ exact restaurant? Why did it have to be on _this_ exact day at _this_ exact time? This was all his fault.

"How long do we have to get you the pardon?" Tony demanded, angry and scared at the same time.

Jack put his hand on the speaker. "Are you kidding me? We are not going to give in to Nina's demands! She is a fuckin' terrorist for fuck's sake!"

"What about Michelle?"

"Two hours," Nina spoke up.

"Okay," Tony replied, ignoring Jack's decision.

He clicked the off button on the phone and sighed.

"Think about it, Jack. We'll get her a pretend pardon and she'll tell us where Michelle is!"

"Yeah, okay. Whatever. You're the director of CTU, not me. It's your call." Jack said, hurrying out of CTU.

Tony decided that while he was at CTU, he should probably get some work done. He headed up to his office and dialed the numbers for the president's line.

"President Palmer's office?" The secretary picked up.

"Yeah, uh, this is Tony Almeida director of CTU LA division. I need to speak with the president immediately. It's very important."

"Please hold, Mr. Almeida."

"No, I can't hold! Someone's life is at stake!"

"One moment, please, Mr. Almeida."

Tony waited a minute and finally the president picked up.

"Yes, Tony Almeida? What is it?"

"President Palmer, how are you feeling?"

It was required that, if ever on the phone with the president, you ask him how he's feeling after the assassination attempt.

"I'm fine, Mr. Almeida. Now, what was so important?"

"Well, we just received a call from a terrorist named Nina Myers, the same Nina Myers who killed Jack Bauer's wife, demanding an official pardon signed by you, sir."

"What did she say she'd do if I said no?"

"That she'd kill one of our best agents. Michelle Dessler helped prevent our country from going to war. She was the one who helped Jack find evidence that the Cyprus Audio was a forgery."

"How did she get Ms. Dessler?"

"Well, sir, I was on a, uh, date with her and three or four men were taking hostages and grabbed Michelle."

"I am sorry if you have a personal relationship with Ms. Dessler, and I understand that this is tough for you. Do you have any suggestions on what we should do?"

"We're trying to trace her call, but Nina's smarter than to allow herself to be found through phone connections. I was wondering that if we get her to give us her location, and then maybe you could pardon her for only a few of her crimes and crimes to come?"

"She is a terrorist and I believe that that is out of the question"

"Yes, sir, I understand, but as much as I want to catch Nina, I want to save Michelle."

Michelle was once again blindfolded. She had a piece of cloth was tied over her mouth so she couldn't talk.

"I hope Tony loves you. I'm sure this isn't how you'd want to die, eh? That pardon is something I need, and I'm sure you're something Tony needs."

Michelle felt alone. Very alone. Like there was no one in the world that could help her. Like she was the only one on the planet, with no company, no Tony.

Nina continued. "Don't worry, Michelle, you're death will be quick and painless."

Michelle was always strong, but for this one moment in time, fell apart.


	6. Chapter 6

Two hours later…

Tony's phone rang, and he picked it up saying his usual, 'Almeida'. It was Nina. Of course it was. Who else would it be?

"Do you have the pardon?" She asked.

"Not on paper," Tony almost whispered, trembling, "but if you come to CTU, you can talk to the president, or I can come to you if you just tell me where you are."

"God damn it Tony! I used to work for CTU! If you come with no one, and I mean no one, then I'll release your beloved Michelle. But if I find out that there's some SWAT team nearby, or LAPD or anyone else from CTU, bye-bye Michelle."

Tony nodded. "Okay. Where are you?"

"In an underground drug warehouse 12 miles east of Santa Monica. Above the warehouse is an Indian shop. If you can get yourself through there and into where I am, I'll let you have Michelle back."

Tony grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down the information. "Alright. I'll see you in half an hour,"

"This had better be a real pardon,"

Tony put down his phone and scratched his face, for what was probably the hundredth time that day.

Back at the Warner residence… 

Kate had locked herself in her bedroom, and was crying up a storm.

"Katie, please. I needed to help Tony! Open up!" Jack pleaded.

"Jack! I can't marry you! I think we're rushing it, and I really can't marry someone who'll never be there for me, or be there at all!"

"Katie…"

"Jack, just go away! I really don't want to talk to you!"

"We need to sort things out. I understand that you don't want to marry me…"

"Oh, so you don't want me to marry you?"

"No, Katie, of course I do, but if you don't feel it's right, I understand. Truth is, I don't think I'm ready to marry again. Not after Teri. And there are some events going on today with Nina Myers, the woman who killed Teri so…"

"You BASTARD! You still love Teri! How dare you even get involved with me if you don't love me as much as you did Teri!"

"Kate…Teri was my first love," Jack reminded her, holding back tears. "I'll never love the way I loved her…ugh, I'm getting too mushy. Point is, I do love you!" Jack struggled with that sentence.

Kate unlocked her bedroom door, opened it and half-smiled. Her mascara had run far down her puffy cheeks, her nose was red, and her hair was messed up. Jack was a little scared at the sight, but pulled her in for a hug.

"Everybody listen up!" Tony called from the top of the stairs, although there weren't very many 'everybody'. "I'm leaving CTU for something very important, and our Intelligence Agent has been kidnapped! I'm leaving Gael Ortega in charge of CTU until I get back!"

There were a few nods of the head and a few people mumbled 'yeah'.

Tony flew out of CTU and rushed over to his car. He started it up and drove away. He drove 12 miles east of Santa Monica and scanned the streets of what looked like the Main Street. He found an Indian store and parked in front of it. Tony loaded his gun and walked inside.

"Yes, sir, can I help you?" A man asked in an Indian accent.

"I need to go downstairs," Tony replied.

"No, I'm sorry, I cannot do that. Orders from Ms. Myers."

Tony pulled out his gun. "I need to get downstairs. Someone I'm involved with is being held hostage downstairs."

The man smiled and pulled out another gun. "And I said I cannot do that." His voice was firmer and more abrupt.

Tony sighed and fired his gun twice, shooting the man in the heart. He walked to the back of the store and pushed the door open. The door led to a flight of stairs and he bounded down them quickly.

Tony explored the underground warehouse for a while, until he heard small ticking noises. His eyes widened and he ducked near a crate. Slower ticks, and then a huge explosion. Tony was thrown up against the wall and silently cursed at himself for not expecting Nina to do something like that. He got up and brushed himself off. His ribs hurt and he clutched his side before exploring some more. He finally came across a closed door. He pressed his ear against the door and heard Nina.

A/N: I know that it's kind of pointless for Nina to try to kill Tony with the bomb if she wanted the pardon, but I just had to put it in ;)!

"So I guess your lover's here then. I hope he's not too badly hurt." She said sarcastically.

Tony slowly opened the door and saw Michelle tied up in a corner and Nina standing a foot away.

"Tony! I see you survived the bomb?"

Tony nodded.

Michelle let out a breath that she was holding. Thank God Tony was here! Tony would make everything better.

"Untie Michelle," He said in almost a whisper.

"Show me the pardon."

Tony reached for his gun and shot Nina above her kneecap so she would hurt but wouldn't die. She dropped to the floor, and Tony raced over to Michelle and untied her. She stood up, and he grabbed her hand and ran out of the underground warehouse. Tony grabbed the feet of the dead Indian man and threw him down the stairs.

"Thank you, Tony," Michelle whispered, kissing him passionately on the lips. It was slow and tender and they both savored every moment of it. Finally, Tony took Michelle's hand again and led her out of the store, and into his car, where she was finally safe again.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** So sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been on vacation.

This next chapter might be a little weak so go easy on me…

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When Tony and Michelle arrived back at CTU, they went their separate ways: Michelle to medical, and Tony to his office. They didn't talk or cross paths for the rest of the day, and Tony couldn't stand it. Finally, he headed up to medical to check on Michelle. When he knocked on the door, Michelle motioned for him to come in.

"Michelle I'm sorry for what happened…"

But Michelle didn't let him finish. "It wasn't you fault, but look, after today, I don't think I'll be able to see you again. It would remind me too much of today or this," Michelle pointed to a tightly wrapped bandage from where the hostiles grabbed her.

Tony knelt by her side and kissed the bandage sweetly. "Please, Michelle, this one day can't dictate the future we might have together!"

Michelle weakly pulled her arm away. "You're scaring me, Tony. This day scared me and if I don't want to see you, I don't want to see you. Please, just…go,"

"But what about…?"

"Tony, I've had time to think about it and if you ask me, I think I'm being rational."

She was holding back tears and was struggling with her words. Tony blinked rapidly, obviously blinking back the tears, and got up and left.

"Okay,"

One month later… 

Michelle sat on her couch after another very stressful Friday at CTU. There was a story about CTU on the news, so she turned it on. She sighed heavily when the newswoman, Brenda something, interviewed Tony. Her phone rang and she answered it.

"Dessler,"

"Hey beautiful,"

"Hey Rob,"

Rob was Michelle's new beau. He worked for Homeland Security and Michelle found him to be perfect. She felt good around him and he was a good kisser.

"Bad day?" Rob asked.

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah,"

They often had short conversations on the phone and Michelle thought it to be kind of sweet that he didn't gush about himself or his days.

"Hey, you wanna get together?" Rob asked.

"Yeah sure,"

"Okay, so, meet me at–I mean, I'll pick you up and I'll take you to this new fancy restaurant."

"Sounds great,"

"Love you,"

"Love you too,"

Michelle had told herself many times that she loved Rob, but sometimes didn't believe it. She sometimes found herself loving Tony, although she cringed at his name.

She quickly ran into the bathroom for a shower and then into her room to get changed. She put on a nice dark blue faux-Valentino knee-height strapless. It looked great on her, and Rob would probably agree. A quick moisturizer and blush, lip-gloss and mascara was all she needed for makeup. About fifteen minutes later, Rob came by to pick her up.

"You look…amazing!" Rob said, staring at her beautiful body.

"Thanks, you too,"

Rob didn't really look good, just a regular suit with the dark blue silk tie Michelle had bought him soon after she had bought her dress.

"The tie…how'd you know?"

"I had a feeling," Rob smiled and held out his arm, which she took with pleasure.

The drive to this new restaurant was pretty quiet and pleasant. The waiter seated them and gave them a menu.

A few tables later, Jack and Kate were seated.

"Hey, who's that with Michelle?" Kate asked.

"Oh, that's Rob Smith, a guy from Homeland. Michelle's _boyfriend_,"

"Does Tony know?"

"Yeah, I think so. But he's pretty pissed, 'cause I think he still loves Michelle."

"Still? They were dating?"

"No, but I think he's grown to love her. They did go on one date, but Michelle ended up getting kidnapped by this terrorist Nina Myers."

"Poor her,"

Kate sipped her wine and Jack admired her as they shot glances at each other and at Rob and Michelle.

Tony popped open a beer. Another night since the day Michelle said she didn't want to see him. _Damn_, he thought, _she's probably with _RobRob. He was probably going to turn out to be a jerk, and cheat on Michelle or something. Rob. He blamed himself for what happened with Michelle, although he knew it wasn't his fault. But it was his fault that he took her to _that_ restaurant at _that_ time. If he had waited another day, it could've been _him_ on that date with her.

Tony was watching the news. It was still that Brenda something standing in front of the CTU bullpen.

"Thanks to the strong leadership of Tony Almeida, America is safe…" she was saying.

Brenda was an attractive blond woman, tall and curvy, altogether nothing like Michelle, except for the attractive part. She had given him her card and insisted he 'call her'. He picked up the phone and dialed her line.

"Brenda Morris,"

"Brenda? Hey, it's Tony Almeida from CTU,"

"Oh my gosh! Hi!"

"Hi. How's it going?"

"Uh, good."

"Good, me too. Hey, look, you wanna go see a movie with me in, like, fifteen minutes?"

"Sure!" Brenda replied enthusiastically.

"Okay, I'll meet you at the Cineplex in fifteen minutes,"

"Yeah, see you,"

On his way to the Cineplex, Tony bought a pretty pink rose to give to Brenda. She was already waiting in line when he got there, wearing light, well fitting jeans and a pink long sleeve tee. Gucci sunglasses covered her eyes and a Channel purse was slung around her arm.

"Hey," Tony said, handing her the rose.

"Hey. These are beautiful!"

"Thanks. So, uh, what movie do you want to see?"

"There's this great horror that just came out, The Slash, do you wanna see that?"

"Okay,"

Tony paid for the tickets and popcorn and the usher seated them. Halfway through the movie, the first semi-scary part happened, and Brenda clung on to Tony like a lost puppy. He didn't react at first, but soon realized that he was supposed to comfort her, so he brought her closer to him. When the movie ended, Brenda pulled Tony in closely for a quick peck on the lips. Tony smiled a sort of fake smile and stood up. She was a good kisser, but no Michelle.


	8. Chapter 8

Tony drove Brenda home, since she took the bus, and they enjoyed light conversation mostly about Brenda and the news, and not so much about Tony and CTU. That was one thing about Michelle, she and Tony were always on the same page career-wise.

"So then he brought me this coffee and a Danish!" Brenda laughed at her slight attempt at a joke and Tony mimicked the laugh.

"So you must have some stories about CTU?" Brenda asked, just as Tony pulled up into the driveway of her quaint bungalow.

"Uh," Tony tugged at his shirt collar.

"Oh, come on, we can talk over coffee!"

Tony got out and followed Brenda to the front door, and then the kitchen.

"What do you take in yours?"

"I just have it black,"

"Okay. You know, there was a story that I broadcasted about black coffee against coffee with cream and sugar. So…CTU…?"

"Well, I started working there since my mid-twenties, and back then Jack Bauer was the director, then George Mason, who died a couple of months ago, and now me,"

"Oh. So, how many days like today have you had? And what happened?"

"Only a couple. I won't get in to some of the crises', but nuclear threats, attempts on President Palmer's life, stuff like that."

"So, you must be really good at what you do?"

"Yeah. You've gotta have resistance under pressure and keep your cool," Tony answered, gratefully taking the mug of coffee Brenda handed him.

"I love the news, and ever since I was a little girl, have wanted to become a news castor."

Once again, the conversation turned to Brenda.

"So, have you ever had any inter-office relationships?"

It was almost as if Brenda was interviewing Tony for a report or something.

Tony choked at the question. He wondered if he should tell Brenda about Michelle, the woman he'd loved since the moment he laid eyes on her…

Michelle and Rob were sharing a slice of dark chocolate cake and sipping from the same wine glass. Jack and Kate were still spying on them, and finally, Michelle noticed.

"Oh no way!" Michelle whispered so only Rob could hear.

"What?"

"That's Jack and his girlfriend Kate over there!"

"So?"

"So? He's probably spying on us so that he can tell Tony or something!"

"Tony?"

Michelle weakly smiled. She hadn't told Rob about Tony or that day with Nina yet.

"Yeah, uh, the director of CTU. We went on one date and it turned out to be a disaster and I got kidnapped so I broke up with him."

"Cool," Rob smiled. "Hey, you wanna get out of here?"

Michelle got Goosebumps. What did he mean 'get out of here'? Did he want her to go to his apartment and sleep with him?

"Uh, yeah. I'd like to get some sleep though. I'm beat!"

Michelle looked over at Jack and Kate, who immediately turned away. She leaned over and tenderly kissed Rob. He smiled while she kissed him more firmly, and grabbed her butt and squeezed it hard. Shivers were sent up and down Michelle's spine. But not the good shivers she got when she was around Tony, but the freakishly creeped-out shivers. She immediately pulled away and he looked at her, a little confused.

"Babe?"

"I'd better go,"

She got up and kissed him on the cheek. Once outside, Michelle hailed a taxi that took her home. She curled up on the couch and wrapped herself with a blanket, and buried herself in pillows. That was probably the most awkward thing that had happened in their relationship so far. She cried small tears and reached for the phone. She dialed Rob's phone number and the answering machine picked up.

"_Hey, this is Rob's phone number…_" some grunting and a female voice saying, 'baby come back,' "_I'm busy getting laid, so if you've got something to say, say it after the beep…_" more grunting, "_and if this is Michelle, you're dumped. I picked up this hooker and we're done,_"

BEEP!

Michelle hung up and re-dialed. She listened to the message on the answering machine over and over, until it finally hit her: Rob dumped after the way she reacted to the butt-squeeze. That jerk. She just got dumped for a hooker, and not even twenty minutes ago!

"He squeezed her ass!" Kate sighed stepping into the passenger seat of Jack's SUV.

"Yeah, and then she left, and then he left."

"That's so inappropriate!"

"Yeah,"

"Would you…do that to me?"

"Yeah sure, but not in public."

"Sure?"

Jack hesitated. "Uh, yeah. Sure."

Kate smiled, and took Jack's hand.

The next morning… 

Tony woke up in an unfamiliar bed, naked, next to a strange woman. Brenda! He had slept with Brenda! The last thing he remembered was drinking a half a bottle of vodka. Half a bottle of vodka! Duh, he'd gotten drunk! Tony reached over and touched Brenda's bare shoulder. Her skin was rough and felt like a thick layer of cream had just been applied.

Brenda perked up and smiled at Tony.

"Did we…?" Tony asked.

Brenda nodded. "Sorry, but I think we both got a little drunk. That vodka…"

"Yeah. Look, I think it'd be best if I go," Tony got up and slipped into his boxers, which were on the floor. He pulled his shirt over his head and crawled into his jeans.

"Bye," Brenda said, waving.

Tony walked out of the room and slipped his shoes on and ran out of the house. He started his car in record time and sped to his and Jack's pad. Jack was on the couch, eating chips and watching TV.

"You're back early," Jack commented.

"I…I…I slept with Brenda."

"Brenda the reporter lady?"

Tony nodded and plunked down next to Jack.

"Fuck Tony! Were you fuckin' drunk?"

"Yeah. We shared a bottle of VODKA!"

"You're so stupid sometimes, Almeida. Oh, hey, I saw Michelle and Rob at the restaurant last night."

"Michelle? And Rob?"

"Yeah. And they made out and he grabbed her ass,"

"Her…ass?"

"Yeah. I bet you wish _you_ could squeeze her ass!"

"I do. But I'm kind of with Brenda."

"Yeah, whatever."

The phone suddenly rang and Tony picked it up.

"Almeida,"

"Tony? It's Michelle."

The words shocked and silenced him.

"Michelle. What do you want?"

"I know this may sound weird, but, uh, maybe we should pick up on that 'thing' we had between us?"


	9. Chapter 9

Michelle didn't know why she had decided to call Tony, but she had. She hoped it wasn't too late, and that someone else hadn't come along and started seeing Tony. She wondered if Rob was kidding about the hooker, but then, why would someone kid about that? She wondered why she had ever led herself to believe that she was in love with Rob. Tony had such an effect on her that even the sound of his voice drove her crazy. Rob never had that kind of effect on her. When she had started dating Rob, she had ignored the effect that Tony had on her and focused on pretending that Rob was 'the one'.

Now, just by hearing Tony's voice, she realized that _he_ was the one, and not–never–Rob.

"Michelle, you made it perfectly clear that it would be to painful to see me, and that it would just remind you of the incident,"

"I know what I said, but I'm over it. Come on Tony, give me a chance,"

Tony had never expected her to ask him for a second chance. He always pictured himself begging her for one.

"What about Rob?"

"Uh, Rob and I, we're finished. It never could've worked, anyway."

"Okay, but you're not just coming to me because you and Rob are finished? You're coming to me because you really want to,"

"Of course I am, Tony. I realize now that I want to be with you,"

"Well, in that case, sure. How 'bout we go out for a movie tonight?"

Michelle nodded. "Yeah, okay. Sounds great," she smiled, "what time?"

"How about I pick you up at eight? You can choose the movie,"

"Yeah!" Michelle tried not to sound too enthusiastic but it was hard.

"Okay, see you then,"

The phone clicked, initiating the end of the call.

"That was Michelle," Tony told Jack.

"Yeah I guessed." Jack shook his head. "So you guys are going out now? What about Brenda and Rob?"

"Well, I never liked Brenda and it was one date, and Michelle said that she and Rob broke up."

"Great…I'm happy for you two,"

Jack then turned his attention back to the TV.

Michelle couldn't help but jump around the room and squeal with pleasure like a teenager. Tony was going on a date with her. One month of being oblivious to the fact that he was perfect in general and for her. Hopefully this date would be better than the last, and since this one was taking place at night, probably would be. She quickly showered and changed into a lavender knee-height sundress. She decided to let her hair down for the first time since she was 16. The curls cascaded down her shoulder in wet, uneven layers, causing parts of the dress to get a little wet. She settled for the regular makeup application and slipped her feet into matching lavender flats.

Tony picker Michelle up at exactly eight o' clock and couldn't help but gawk at her. He had never seen her with her hair down, and he felt almost blessed to be on a date with the woman he believed he loved. He'd tried to get over her, but he couldn't.

"Hi, beautiful," He said in almost a whisper.

"You're not too bad yourself,"

They shared an awkward laugh and then got going. The movie theater was three blocks from Michelle's apartment building, so they didn't really talk much. They ambled inside, and a sudden blast of cold air hit Michelle, and she shivered tremendously. Tony to his time to warm her up by holding her in a hug for a good minute. She silently thanked him and they went into the line.

"Tony? What are you doing here? I called you like a million times!"

It was Brenda.

"Oh shit," Tony whispered, turning away, pretending not to notice her.

"We slept together and you don't even call me?"

"You slept with Brenda?" Michelle demanded.

"We were drunk,"

Tony expected Michelle to be angry with him, but instead, she laughed an infectious laugh. He couldn't help but chuckle himself.

Michelle picked a chick-flick, but didn't feel like watching it, so she and Tony picked a seat at the far back of the theater and cuddled and made out for most of the movie. The date was certainly better than the last.

Tony drove her home, and walked her to her front door. She kissed him on the cheek and smiled.

"Good night," She said.

"Good night,"

_Well, that's the end of Off the Ground! Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!_


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